|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NBA FINALS: HEAT v THUNDERJune 20, 2012Scott BrooksMIAMI, FLORIDA: Practice Day Q.  You guys were down 0‑2 against the Spurs, a team that had won 20 in a row at that point. Did you use that as an example to your team of how you can overcome something like this? COACH SCOTT BROOKS: I mean, definitely, our guys know it's fresh in our mind. It was just last series that we were down 0‑2. I mean, we're definitely down. Our back is against the wall, but it's not over. We still have some fight in us. We're just going to have to play tomorrow night with the urgency that you have to play with, that we've done. But it always comes down to a few plays here and there that we have to make. But I think our guys, we understand the moment, we understand where we are. It's win or you're done for the season. But I think our guys are going to come out and play a great game. I anticipate that. I have a lot of belief in our guys. I understand all the work that they put in. I see it every day. This game is always about that. It's always about the work that you put in to be in this position, and these guys are in this position because of that. Q. In the 2006 Finals, Pat Riley had to kind of rein in COACH SCOTT BROOKS a little bit, saying that he wanted to keep his touches under 50 a game, because if he got more than 50 touches they lost. I was just wondering generally speaking, is there a saturation point for guards where you have to put a ceiling on the number of their touches? COACH SCOTT BROOKS: That's way over my head. That's way over my head. I mean, we play a style of play that's aggressive. I don't count the touches that guys‑‑ I like all our guys to participate in the offense as well as the defense, but we're an aggressive team. We have to be in attack mode. We have to be able to create opportunities in transition. Our half court has improved this past season. But I don't look at it that way. But I think our guys are‑‑ they have to play with an aggressive mindset, and we are one of the best in the league at getting to the free‑throw line, and we have to continue to focus on attacking and making plays for each other, also. Q. Is there anything they're doing or you're doing that has caused you to shoot so poorly on three‑pointers in this series? COACH SCOTT BROOKS: Well, I look back at some of our threes or all of our threes, and we got some good looks, and that's all you can ask for. There's some of them that were contested, there's no question. They're a great defensive team, and they make you take some tough shots. But you have to be able to keep moving the basketball and find those good shots. We are a good three‑point shooting team, and we've improved on that the last three or four years. But you have to step up and make them. That's the bottom line. When you're open, you have to take them and you've got to shoot them with confidence. And our guys, hopefully tomorrow night we step up and get those shots, and hopefully they fall in. Q. You clearly had a set rotation and that's what got you here, but how are you approaching adjustments to that rotation? And how are you going to approach it in a must‑win game tomorrow night? COACH SCOTT BROOKS: Well, you just have to play the guys that you think are playing the best and the unit that's playing the best together. We've been good all year of everybody getting in there and playing quality minutes. It's not how many minutes, it's how your minutes are played, and I think our guys have done a good job with that all year. I don't think the game comes down to who plays and who doesn't play. It's how we play. And I think the last couple of games they made a few plays that we did not make, and it always comes down to that. When the game comes down to a two‑minute game, that's all you can do is put yourself in that position and hopefully we can make those plays to win the game. But it always comes down to everybody just playing as hard as they can and making plays for their team. Q. You've seen Russell over the last three or four years elevate his game plateau by plateau. Did we see a new plateau last night with the way he played, maybe reaching a new status in terms of what he can expect out of himself and what you can expect out of him? COACH SCOTT BROOKS: Well, I have a lot of expectations out of Russell every game. I expect him to play with a lot of energy and a lot of force. Obviously you guys know I'm a big Russell fan. I love how he plays. I love his passion that he has every game. And I've said this and I will always say this, none of us are perfect, and he's not the perfect‑‑ doesn't make perfect plays all the time, but he makes a lot of great effort plays, and he plays with so much hard that you can't substitute that. He has a motor, and you can't turn a guy on if he doesn't have that motor. He has a motor, and he plays like that every night. But he made his shots last night. He kept us in the game. He got us off to a great start, and when they made their run, he allowed us to stay in the game with his play, and he gave us a chance to win in the fourth quarter. That's all you can ask for. Q. From an offensive standpoint, historically have you seen many games like that in The Finals, 43 points, 20 of 32 shooting? COACH SCOTT BROOKS: Well, he was terrific all night. I thought he was active on both ends of the floor. But his offensive mid‑range game, his lay‑up game, he got to the free‑throw line, so that's very important for us. It has to be up there. But as he will tell you, I don't know if he's said this yet, but he cares about winning. Nobody wants to have a great game in a losing effort. It doesn't sound good. It's not what athletes are good. Competitive athletes want to do well, obviously, and they want to win. We didn't win the game, so I'm sure he's not going to feel great about the game. Q. Both Russell and Kevin have talked about all these guys believing in one another, even when others haven't. What have you noticed in that department over the last four years as these guys have grown and taken these steps in the process together? COACH SCOTT BROOKS: Well, it has. We've grown as a team. This team has been together. Kevin's five years, Russell's four, James and Serge three, and some of the other guys, Nick, but we've been together for a while. We talk about process, but process is work. It's doing your work every day. It is not just a word, it's an action that we do every day. Nothing is going to change. We're going to come to work today and work on things that we think that is going to help us win tomorrow night, but that process is always about work, and our guys believe in that, and that's not going to change. Q. In Game 1 you had 22 team assists. Since then you haven't had more than 14. How important is ball movement for you? And do you think the lack of an assist has anything to do with the fact that you guys have now lost three games in a row? COACH SCOTT BROOKS: Well, there's no question. Ball movement is important for basketball teams, and we're at our best when we're moving the ball, and we are flying off screens and we're making multiple passes and multiple plays for each other. We have to get better with that. I thought we did that in the first half. We wanted to play with more pace going into last night's game. I thought we did that. But passing is very intimidating for either team, and when you pass the ball, when you're chasing the basketball, it's hard to guard, and we want to be a team that always passes the ball, and we have to get better with that area. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|